How to remove Trk-click.pshtrk.com ads

Trk-click.pshtrk.com is a deceptive site designed to generate revenue from push notifications

Trk-click.pshtrk.com is a bogus site that tries to trick people into subscribing to push notifications using social engineering. Its main purpose is to generate revenue from pay-per-click advertising. People are asked to press the “Allow” button, and when they do, they start getting spammed with annoying pop-ups.

Users might receive ads from rogue advertising networks that lead to dangerous websites. As a result, people may end up on scam pages that try to trick them into providing personal information, downloading PUPs (potentially unwanted programs),^[1] and even malware.

Distribution methods

Usually, users do not find pages like this in the search results. Most often, they are spread on shady websites that are full of deceptive ads and redirects. Trk-click.pshtrk.com opens in a new tab and people often do not notice that it is a completely separate site and not related to the one they were previously on.

Visitors are asked to press the “Allow” button to confirm that they are not robots. This looks familiar to a captcha verification process and it can easily fool users that do not know what a legitimate captcha process looks like. The “verification” does not take place on the page itself.

A browser pop-up appears saying that the website wants to send push notifications instead. A legitimate human verification should never ask you to choose between “Block” and “Allow” on a browser prompt. Generally, it asks to identify certain objects in pictures or to simply check a box.

Another possibility is that the site appeared automatically without any user input. This can occur if you are infected by adware.^[2] It can cause an increased amount of commercial content, like pop-ups, banners, and redirects. Such PUPs are mostly spread through freeware distribution platforms.

Block push notifications

Because push notifications are based on a subscription model, users need to disable them manually. If you do not know how, here are the instructions for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, MS Edge:

Google Chrome (desktop):

1. Open Google Chrome browser and go to Menu > Settings.
2. Scroll down and click on Advanced.
3. Locate the Privacy and security section and pick Site Settings > Notifications.
4. Look at the Allow section and look for a suspicious URL.
5. Click the three vertical dots next to it and pick Block. This should remove unwanted notifications from Google Chrome.

Google Chrome (Android):

1. Open Google Chrome and tap on Settings (three vertical dots).
2. Select Notifications.
3. Scroll down to Sites section.
4. Locate the unwanted URL and toggle the button to the left (Off setting).

Mozilla Firefox:

1. Open Mozilla Firefox and go to Menu > Options.
2. Click on Privacy & Security section.
3. Under Permissions, you should be able to see Notifications. Click Settings button next to it.
4. In the Settings – Notification Permissions window, click on the drop-down menu by the URL in question.
5. Select Block and then click on Save Changes. This should remove unwanted notifications from Mozilla Firefox.

Safari:

1. Click on Safari > Preferences…
2. Go to Websites tab and, under General, select Notifications.
3. Select the web address in question, click the drop-down menu and select Deny.

MS Edge:

1. Open Microsoft Edge, and click the Settings and more button (three horizontal dots) at the top-right of the window.
2. Select Settings and then go to Advanced.
3. Under Website permissions, pick Manage permissions and select the URL in question.
4. Toggle the switch to the left to turn notifications off on Microsoft Edge.

MS Edge (Chromium):

1. Open Microsoft Edge, and go to Settings.
2. Select Site permissions.
3. Go to Notifications on the right.
4. Under Allow, you will find the unwanted entry.
5. Click on More actions and select Block.

The cookie problem

Almost all websites nowadays require you to accept cookies^[3] by throwing a big prompt in your face obstructing the view. Frustrated, many just click “Accept” because they want to proceed as quickly as possible. Because you experienced pop-up spam without knowing, there is a big chance you were browsing through questionable sites that could still be tracking your browsing activity.

Cookies can store data such as the websites you visit, links you click on, things you type in the search, and what you purchase online. It can alter be sold to advertising networks or other third parties. We recommend using a repair tool like FortectIntego, which can automatically clear your browsers from cookies and cache, clear up space, fix corrupted files, system errors and optimize the performance of the device.

Scan your system for adware

There are instances where users can be infected with adware that performs tasks in the background without their knowledge. Because there is no way of knowing which specific app is causing this annoying behavior, we always suggest our readers use professional security tools like SpyHunterCombo Cleaner or MalwarebytesMalwarebytes to scan their PCs. Anti-malware tools can detect suspicious programs that are active in the background and eliminate them completely with all the related files.

PUPs are most often spread through freeware distribution platforms. We recommend only using official web stores and developer sites for software installations. You should also always choose the “Custom” or “Advanced” installation methods, and check the file list. Untick the boxes next to any unrelated applications.

Manual removal may result in the renewal of infection as people often fail to eliminate all the related files and entries, however, if you still want to do this yourself, you can follow the guide below for Windows and Mac machines.

Windows 10/8:

1. Enter Control Panel into Windows search box and hit Enter or click on the search result.
2. Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
3. From the list, find the entry of the suspicious program.
4. Right-click on the application and select Uninstall.
5. If User Account Control shows up, click Yes.
6. Wait till uninstallation process is complete and click OK.

Windows 7/XP:

1. Click on Windows Start > Control Panel located on the right pane (if you are Windows XP user, click on Add/Remove Programs).
2. In Control Panel, select Programs > Uninstall a program.
3. Pick the unwanted application by clicking on it once.
4. At the top, click Uninstall/Change.
5. In the confirmation prompt, pick Yes.
6. Click OK once the removal process is finished.

Mac:

1. From the menu bar, select Go > Applications.
2. In the Applications folder, look for all related entries.
3. Click on the app and drag it to Trash (or right-click and pick Move to Trash)

To fully remove an unwanted app, you need to access Application Support, LaunchAgents, and LaunchDaemons folders and delete relevant files:

1. Select Go > Go to Folder.
2. Enter /Library/Application Support and click Go or press Enter.
3. In the Application Support folder, look for any dubious entries and then delete them.
4. Now enter /Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons folders the same way and terminate all the related .plist files.